NHRA: New Downtown Speed Limit in Houston: 330 MPH
18 March 1999
HOUSTON - The 500 block of Texas Avenue will be lined with the fastest cars on the face of the planet April 7 when the best drivers of the National Hot Rod Association descend on downtown Houston for an unprecedented car exhibition and autograph expo.Several of the actual cars and drivers that will be competing at the O'Reilly Nationals presented by Pennzoil April 8-11 at Houston Raceway Park will be on display at the event and fans are encouraged to stop by and meet their heroes and their incredible machines in person. The free expo, which is co-sponsored by the City of Houston, will take in front of Bayou Place and at Fish Plaza in the courtyard of the Wortham Center from 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
The highlight of the day will occur just before noon when Top Fuel driver Bruce Sarver fires up his dragster and rattles all the windows of the downtown skyscrapers with a 6,200 horsepower engine display that's sure to get everyone's attention.
With top speeds in excess of 330 mph and quarter-mile elapsed times in the 4.5-second range, these drivers all have interesting stories to tell and they are anxious to share them with their fans and the media. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet many of the sport's top drivers and see their cars all in one location.
Professional drivers in attendance will include: Eddie Hill, the 63-year-old legendary Texas-born driver of the Pennzoil Top Fuel Dragster; Tony Schumacher, who recently shattered the 330-mph barrier for the first time in his Exide Batteries Top Fuel Dragster; Cory McClenathan, who took the checkered flag of the Top Fuel category at last year's race in his MBNA ride; Cruz Pedregon, the wildly popular Interstate Batteries Funny Car champ who blasted his class's national elapsed time record in Houston last season; Tim Gibson, the only Top Fueler on the circuit who makes a living as an aerodynamic engineer; Gary Densham, a high school auto shop teacher who routinely drives his NEC/AAA Auto Club machine over 300 mph; Mike Thomas, who finished as the Pro Stock runner-up a year ago in his Pennzoil Firebird; Texan Bruce Allen, the always competitive pilot of The Outlaw Fuel Additives Pro Stock Firebird; Former Houston Champion Mark Pawuk of the Summit Racing stable; Richie "The Kid" Stevens, 20, the youngest Pro Stock winner of all time in his Valspar Refinish machine; and Robert Patrick, an up-and-coming Ford-powered Pro Stocker in the NHRA.
Additionally, Pennzoil-sponsored sportsman standouts Mike Ferderer and Bill Kent will be on hand with their competitive machines, as will Junior Dragster thrill-seekers Erica and Courtney Enders of Houston.